Sweet Lies
by TeraRiley
Summary: Hermione loses her memory and associates with the wrong people, causing her to become something worse than anyone could ever imagined. Can Ron help her? I sure hope so! RH pairing and a little of HG pairing as well.
1. Default Chapter

~*Chapter 1*~  
  
The sky was bleak, and Harry was not back yet. Ron and Hermione were stuck outside of a large building, trying many different spells to get inside. Unsuccessfully they cast spell after spell, wanting to get in and help Harry. Harry had opened the door and it had closed behind him before Ron and Hermione could stop it. The three had gone to this building, knowing that Lord Voldemort was inside and holding Ginny Weasley captive. Harry had been too scared to get close to anyone after their 5th year when Sirius had died and blamed himself for what had happened. But gradually into their 7th year, he and Ginny had gotten very close; and Voldemort knew this. He was using Ginny as a way to get Harry to come to him so that the prophesy could finally be fulfilled.   
  
"Arhh!" Ron screamed in frustration. "This is impossible Hermione. We can't get in!"  
  
"There has got to be one spell that we haven't tried which will let us in here," Hermione argued.   
  
"Well I'm all out. I've done every spell that I can think of! I even tried conjuring a sandwich and throwing that at the door, which obviously didn't work."  
  
Hermione laughed despite their situation and rolled her eyes. Ron acted so ridiculous sometimes, but she was glad for the comic relief in their desperate situation. She sat down on the ground to think and put her head in her hands, discouraged. "Listen, Ron, we can't give up. That's our best friend in there and we've got to help him."  
  
A new look of determination came upon Ron's face. "Yeah, I know. There has got to be something that we haven't thought of."  
  
They both sat there for a moment before Hermione's face lit up and she jumped to her feet. "Ron! We are dealing with Voldemort here right?"  
  
"Well, duh Hermione. You just noticed that?"  
  
She waved her hand impatiently and started pacing, "Well what is the one thing that we know Voldemort is?"  
  
Ron's face was scrunched up in confusion as he thought, "Umm…- a stupid git?"  
  
"No Ron! Try to be serious here!"  
  
"Oh c'mon Hermione. Just tell me what you are thinking so we don't have to waste time with me taking half an hour to guess."  
  
Hermione looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing and cried out, "He's a parselmouth! You said that Harry had to speak parseltounge to get into the Chamber of Secrets right? Well it is probably the same instance for this building. The problem is that neither of us can speak it."  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Ron asked.  
  
Exasperated, Hermione sat down on the ground again. "I don't know yet. Give me a minute."  
  
Ron just stared at her, wondering how she was going to figure this one out. Knowing her, though, they would be in the building within minutes. He was lost in his own thoughts when Hermione suddenly grabbed his arm and flung him behind a bush by the door.   
  
"Hey! What are-" Ron started, but she put her hand over his mouth before he could finish.  
  
"Someone is coming!" she whispered. And soon enough, about six death eaters came into view, running at full speed.   
  
"The Potter boy is in there," Lucius Malfoy yelled to the others. "We cannot let him escape from the Dark Lord this time. Do you all want to get punished again like the last time we let him get away?" The other death eaters shook their heads furiously as they followed Malfoy to the front door.   
  
"Open it Destrat," Malfoy commanded. A very tall wizard with dark eyes stepped forward and spoke in parseltounge. The door magically opened and the death eaters quickly filed into the building.   
  
"Quick!" Hermione said frantically. "Run before the door closes!"  
  
The two jumped from behind their hiding spot and ran in just before the door had shut. There was a ripping noise and Hermione looked behind her.   
  
"Aww man!" Ron whined. "My robe got caught in the door when it closed and tore right in half!"   
  
"Forget about it Ron. Let's go!" Hermione plead.  
  
Ron shed off the rest of his ruined robes, showing his muggle clothes which were underneath.   
  
They snuck through a long hallway and up two flights of stairs. Screaming and yelling could be heard from not far off, along with big crashes and such.   
  
"Run faster Hermione! We need to get there!" Ron yelled behind him. His long legs were much to fast for Hermione's much shorter ones.   
  
"I'm-going-as-fast-as-I-can!" she said between breaths.   
  
"Here," Ron stopped and held out his hand. "I'll pull you faster."  
  
Hermione blushed and took his hand. Ron took off much faster than Hermione had imagined. She felt herself being pulled about twice her running speed. They turned corner after corner, hearing the crashes getting louder.  
  
"This building doesn't look this big from outside. There are so many freaking hallways in here!" Ron yelled to Hermione.  
  
Hermione was so out of breath that she just nodded her head in agreement, though she knew he couldn't see her do this since she behind him. They finally came to a long hallway that looked as if it was the last one, but stretched for miles. Ron took a deep breath and started running at top speed, holding onto Hermione after him.   
  
Abruptly, Ron stopped running and had to yank Hermione back to him to stop her momentum.   
  
"What are we stopping for??" she asked.  
  
"Look ahead! Don't you see that? And listen!"  
  
Hermione was puzzled but looked ahead of them and listened hard. The screaming and banging had stopped and a flash of light was coming towards them quickly. The walls and ceiling of the long hallway suddenly started crumbling and falling to the ground as soon as the light touched it.   
  
"Crap!" Ron bellowed. "Turn around Hermione!"  
  
They quickly started running the other direction, trying to escape from the fast, on-coming light. Ron looked behind him and saw that the light was gaining on them. They turned corner after corner, trying to find the front door again. They found the first flight of stairs to go down. Ron picked Hermione up and jumped down about six stairs at a time.   
  
On the second flight of stairs, pieces of the building starting coming down upon their heads from the upper stairs. Ron dodged the big chunks of ceiling, but little pieces of concrete cut across his face. He ran as fast as he could while holding Hermione in his arms, trying to protect her from the falling pieces. A sharp pain suddenly came to his back, and before he realized it he saw the light engulfing the two in its destruction. They fell over onto the ground and were both knocked unconscious. Soon after, the building collapsed all together.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron opened his eyes and realized that he was lying in a hospital bed at St. Mungo's. He felt pain all through his body and he couldn't feel his left arm and leg.   
  
'Great', he thought. 'I've broken both of them.' He turned his head to the right and saw Hermione lying next to him. She was heavily bandaged, especially her head. Ron's throat closed and he wanted to rush to her side to make sure she was still alive. He tried to get up, but soon felt pairs of hands pushing him back into his bed.   
  
"Let me go!" he yelled angrily.  
  
"You better stop moving before I hurt you even more myself!"  
  
Ron looked to see who the speaker was and saw his twin brothers, Fred and George.   
  
"Stop fussing ikle Ronnykins." Fred teased. "Your girlfriend is alive."  
  
Ron blushed furiously and punched Fred in the shoulder with his good arm. "She's not my girlfriend you git."  
  
George smiled, "Yeah whatever little bro." His smile then vanished as soon as it had come, being replaced by a look of sadness. "She is alive, but not exactly doing well."  
  
"Wha-what do you mean?" Ron asked, starting to feel sick to his stomach.   
  
"Well," Fred said quietly. But then Mrs. Weasley came running into the hospital room and rushed to the side of her son's bed.  
  
"Oh Ron! They told me--thought you were dead--told your father to come here straight from work--rushed here as fast as I could before even putting myself together!" Mrs. Weasley said all very fast. And indeed, she had come before she had gotten herself ready for the day with her hair not even brushed through and still in her night gown; for the three friends had gone to the building during the late night and it was now the early morning.   
  
Mrs. Weasley grabbed her son into a big hug, crushing his broken arm. "Ouch mum! You're crushing my arm!" Ron yelped in pain.  
  
"Oh, sorry dear," she apologized.   
  
Ron then remembered what he and his brothers were talking about before his mom had busted into the room. "So what is wrong with Hermione??"  
  
George and Fred lowered their heads; their usual mischievous grins were not there. "While the building that you guys were in was caving in, Hermione somehow hit her head pretty hard. She severely damaged a part of her brain, causing her to have amnesia. And it's not just a temporary situation of memory loss," Fred paused, "it's permanent."  
  
Ron's mouth fell open as he thought about what he just heard. 'How could I have let this happen?' he thought. 'How could I let Hermione get hurt so badly?' Ron felt disgusted with himself and punched his hand into his fist angrily, hurting his broken arm in the process.  
  
"Now don't go blaming yourself, dear." Mrs. Weasley brushed back hair from her youngest son's face. "It was not your fault with what happened to her. She didn't break anything, only bruised some of her ribs and, of course, the amnesia. So she will be fine after a while, with the exception of her memory. But we can help Hermione out with that to make everything easier for her to adjust to this new…-handicap."   
  
"Handicap?" Ron whispered warily. He tried to say more, but the words just wouldn't come out.  
  
Three people then entered the hospital room; Hermione's parents and the healer that had cared for Ron and Hermione. Her parent's rushed over to her side and looked at her bandaged body. Her mom started crying and buried her face in her husband's chest. They then left the room swiftly, calling for the healer to follow them.  
  
A few minutes later the healer came back with a solemn look on her face and said, "The Grangers wish that you all do not associate with their daughter. They want her moved to a private room and are having her pulled away from the magical community as soon as she is better. They do not want her to be part of our world any longer since this permanent damage has happened…."   
  
Soon enough, a couple of people came in and wheeled Hermione's bed out of the room. Ron looked at Hermione as she was being led away, wondering when he would see her again. And she would never remember him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Ahh! I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter; well here it is. I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. I only own any additional characters that are made up! You can figure them out I'm sure.   
  
Thanks to my reviewers!! I wasn't going to write this chapter so soon, but once I read my reviews I just had to! Muchos Gracias! lol I think I spelled that right...  
  
3/15/04 Update- Hey guys! I was reading my reviews and realized that it was a bit confusing and I needed to edit and go through this chapter again. So this is the repost of chapter 2. I will be working on chapter 3 today, so keep looking back for an update soon! Probably tomorrow evening at the latest. I hope...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
~*Chapter 2*~  
  
Ron put his feet on his desk and fingered through some papers in his hand. It was almost time for his lunch break, so of course his mind was already on his food. But his mind was also on something else. Someone else.   
  
Everyday Ron thought about Hermione and how she was doing. He hadn't talked to her since that day when Harry and Lord Voldemort had battled, which was six years ago. She had been injured with a permanent memory loss that night, and her parents were too protective to have her take part in the magical world anymore.  
  
"This wizardry and magic is just too dangerous for our little girl," Ron remembered her dad saying to the healer.   
  
'But she wasn't a little girl,' Ron thought angrily. 'If Hermione knew what her parents were doing to her, she would be infuriated. We knew what we were getting into when we went to that night. It was unavoidable.'  
  
It was the night that the three were supposed to be packing to go back to the muggle world. They had just graduated from Hogwarts that year and were ready to start their new life out of the school. But then Ron's sister, Ginny, had been taken by Voldemort for bait. Voldemort had many wizards and witches that worked for him, allowing him be inside of everything and know all that he needed. He knew how much Ginny meant to Harry, so it was the perfect plan. Except Harry had grown up a lot over his years at Hogwarts and had developed exceptional powers. It seemed impossible for Harry to go against Voldemort so soon, but his abilities had grown stronger than anyone could have thought in such a short period of time. That night, Harry and Voldemort battled viciously to the death, and all the while Ron and Hermione had been trying to get to Harry to help him. In the end, Harry had cast a most powerful banishing spell, causing Lord Voldemort and all the Death Eaters vanished without a trace. Voldemort must have known that Harry was about to win the duel, so he cast one last spell that destroyed the entire building, hoping to kill Harry in the process. Lucky for Harry, he had cast a powerful shield spell, which he had been working on for quite some time and knew it would come in handy, that protected him from the falling debris. Ron had somehow managed to escape from the event with just a broken arm and leg. Hermione though...  
  
Ron sighed as he reflected back on that night six years ago. He missed Hermione more than anything and wanted to at least talk to her once.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Ron's best friend, Harry Potter, walked into the room. The two recently had gone through a series of training and tests for five and a half years and were now the newest aurors for the Ministry. They had both worked extremely hard to become aurors so fast, which was a miracle since neither of them was as hard of a worker as Hermione ever was.   
  
"Hey mate, you ready for lunch?" Harry said casually.   
  
"Yeah sure," Ron replied. He set down the stack of papers he was holding onto his desk and grabbed his coat. "Where do you want to eat today?"   
  
"Let's eat in muggle London. We haven't done that in a while." Harry shrugged.  
  
The two left their office and stepped into the elevator. A few paper airplanes came whizzing out of the elevator as they stepped on, along with a few coming in after them. They reached the main floor and then apparated onto the streets above; this was always a little risky in case a muggle was in the alleyway when they apparated, but they had gotten lucky so far.   
  
"Where to now?" Ron asked.   
  
"Let's go to that coffee shop on the corner with the bridal store."   
  
"Sure, but I forgot my wallet in the office so I'll have to pay you back some muggle money later Harry."  
  
Ron and Harry walked into the shop and looked around. They sometimes liked to roam around London with the muggles during their breaks from work, and this was their favorite place to go. The place was never too busy and had a comfortable sort of atmosphere.   
  
"Two medium sized number ones," Harry said to the cashier lady as he pulled out his wallet. Ron cleared his throat loudly. Harry sighed, "Oh wait, sorry, make that three. One for me and two for the guy next to me with a black hole for a stomach."  
  
Ron decided to ignore Harry's usual cracks on his appetite and went to go get a table for them to eat at, leaving Harry to carry back all the food.   
  
They talked about the usual during their break; how Ron's family was doing, when Ginny would be expecting her and Harry's first baby (they are married, if you couldn't tell), and their latest assignments where some crazy wizard or witch would make things ten times harder than it could have been for them.   
  
Ron was on his second meal when the door to the shop opened and a woman came in with what looked like to be her little sister.   
  
"I just need to get a quick coffee before we head back home Marianne," said the short, bushy-haired woman.   
  
Ron choked on his food when he realized who the voice belonged to. He whipped his head around towards the woman and his jaw fell wide open. It was Hermione.   
  
"Harry! It's Hermione!" Ron whispered excitedly, but Harry had already noticed and was excited as well.   
  
She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved button up shirt, with her still bushy hair tied nicely half-up. 'Wow,' Ron thought, 'she's more beautiful than I remember.' He realized that he had been staring at her for a long time, with Harry waving his hand in front of his face, and snapped himself back to reality.   
  
The little girl called Marianne giggled and was pointing Ron out to Hermione. 'Crap, she must have noticed me staring at Hermione,' Ron thought. 'Stupid girl.'  
  
Hermione looked over at Ron and they locked eyes for the first time in six years. She blushed and then turned around to order. Abruptly Harry grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him out of the coffee shop.   
  
"Arh! What are you doing??" Ron shouted in furry.   
  
"Don't you remember that her parents filed a restriction order against the magical world; against us?!" Harry argued while restraining Ron from going back inside. "If you say even one word to her and her parents get wind of it then the Magical Law Enforcement will come swooping down on you and put you away in Azkaban. Do you want that to happen?"  
  
Ron stopped struggling but muttered under his breath, "It'd be worth it to talk to her for just one minute."  
  
"What?" Harry asked, only catching a word here and there.  
  
Ron bit his lip. "Don't you want to talk to her badly too? I mean, she was out best friend and we haven't seen or heard from her for years. She probably doesn't even know we exist! Don't tell me that you can live with that hanging over you."  
  
Harry sighed dejectedly, still holding on to Ron's arm in case he wanted to run back into the shop. "Of course I want to talk to her Ron, and you know that. But we can't go against the law and break the restriction her parents put on us. As much as I want to, we just can't."  
  
Harry finally let go of Ron's arm and said, "C'mon, we've got to get back to work."  
  
Ron looked one last time through the coffee shop window and followed Harry back to the Ministry.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione turned the lock to her house and opened the door. She set her purse down on the kitchen counter and went to go lay down on the couch. Her little sister of five years, Marianne, zoomed around the house.   
  
'Apparently our little outing today didn't tire her out as much as I had hoped,' Hermione laughed to herself. She plopped down onto the living room couch and yawned loudly. She was glad for the weekend to rest up from her rigorous school schedule, in which she spend a lot of her time doing since her major was one that required of about 8 years of schooling, at the least. She attended the best college in London and was at the top of her class; but she was just happy that she could still live at home with her family while attending school.   
  
Her little sister came running up to her and shook her hard, "'Mione! Wake up! Can you take me to Brianna's house right now? Her mom just bought her this really really cool puppy that I wanna see! Please can you take me, please??"  
  
"Alright, alright. Get your coat." Hermione replied as she slowly got off the couch.   
  
"But it's not that cold!" Marianne disputed.   
  
"Well I'm not going to be responsible for you getting sick, so get your coat or I'm not taking you." Hermione was good at using her wits to get her way.   
  
"Fine." Her little sister stomped away and then came back with her pink coat on.   
  
The two left the house for the second time that day and headed down the street. Hermione's mind wandered as she walked her sister to her friend's house. She suddenly thought of the red-haired man whom she had seen at the coffee shop during lunch. He had been staring at her like he was amazed to see her.   
  
'But I don't know him,' Hermione thought. 'Do I? I can't remember knowing anyone with red hair; with the exception Rick.'  
  
Rick was Hermione's best friend. They met in Hermione's first year of college and they've been inseparable since. For some reason her parents didn't seem comfortable around Rick, which was really strange because he hadn't done anything to make them uncomfortable. She remembered having an argument with her parents that involved Rick. All they said was that she was imagining their tightness around him, but she knew better. Later that day of the argument, Hermione was walking around the house when she over-heard her parents talking. She didn't really understand what they had said meant, but it all stuck in her mind.  
  
~*flashback*~ (a/n: I don't know Hermione's parents names, so I'm making them up okay? Correct me if you know them please! Thanks!)  
  
"We need to act better than we have Margaret. She's going to start suspecting something is up."  
  
"What will she suspect? How could she possibly guess what her past life was about? She probably won't even think it has *anything* to do with the past. She just thinks that we don't like Rick."  
  
"Hermione is a smart girl. I know the healer at St. Mungo's said that her condition was permanent, but you never know what little thing could spark her memory. Rick's red hair could remind her of her old friend Ron. There aren't many red heads here in London you know. There is just no telling what could happen."  
  
"You're right Bill; we've got to be careful. I don't want her ever to be part of that dangerous world again."   
  
~*end of flashback*~  
  
Hermione had no idea what anything meant, but hadn't done much to figure it out. What past life? All she knew was that she had gone horse-back riding when she was 17 with her aunt and she had fallen off the horse and hit her head, causing her to get amnesia. She had no other life before that right? Just living with her family and going to school right? And who was Ron? An old friend; that much was all she knew. But Hermione didn't pressure her parents to tell her and didn't let them know that she had over-heard them. Whatever they weren't telling her was for her own benefit and she had faith in her parents that they wouldn't lead her astray.   
  
Hermione's thoughts were interrupted as she realized that she and Marianne had reached Brianna's house. Hermione said a quick hello and then left her little sister with them. She turned around, ready for the walk back home. Starting to get lost in her own thoughts again, Hermione didn't realize that three shadowed figures were following her. The figures followed her until she went down the last alley before her house. They swiftly came up behind her and tackled her to the ground.  
  
Hermione screamed out, but the noise was muffled when one of the figures shoved a wad of cloth into her mouth. She kicked as hard as she could but couldn't get free. A voice spoke that she swore she knew, though didn't knew where from.   
  
"You might as well stop struggling Hermione because you're not going to get out of this one," a foul voice sneered. Hermione looked up and saw a man with blonde hair slicked back and a pointed nose. "My name is Draco Malfoy and I'm here to tell you where you really belong."   
  
The two other figures picked Hermione up roughly from the ground and shoved her over to Malfoy. Blue and red sparks started flying by, almost hitting Malfoy in the head. He quickly grabbed Hermione's arm and apparated from the spot, just in time to dodge a certain red-headed man.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron couldn't concentrate on his paperwork he was supposed to be filling out about the last case he had taken in Germany. He couldn't get his mind off of Hermione from the moment her saw her in the coffee shop. To see her there and not be able to talk to her really pissed him off. Ron slammed his quill onto his desk and stood up.   
  
"I can't do this right now. Can you finish this for me Harry? I need to take work off early today."   
  
Harry knew what Ron was thinking about and just decided to help out his friend, even though the paperwork was a lengthy and boring process that he would rather not do. "Sure Ron. Hand it over."  
  
Ron tossed the folder containing the papers to Harry and then picked up his bag. "Thanks mate. I'll see you tomorrow."   
  
Ron closed the office door behind him and made his way to the main floor of the Ministry. He quickly left and started walking back to the apartment that he and Harry shared in a magical community. He walked down alley after alley, wanting to get home as fast as he could so that he could just lie down in bed. Ron turned another corner and saw two guys holding down a woman and another man with blonde hair.  
  
'Wait a minute,' Ron thought. He then recognized the blonde man and the two other guys.  
  
"Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe. *Just* the people I wanted to see today. I had hoped I wouldn't have to look at their ugly faces ever again after leaving Hogwarts." Ron muttered under his breath. Just then he saw Goyle and Crabbe pick up the woman and push her towards Malfoy. The woman was Hermione! Ron started running at top speed and pulled out his wand as fast as he could, shouting incantations and pointing his wand straight at Malfoy's face. Malfoy looked straight at him, smirked, and then suddenly apparated; taking Hermione with him. Crabbe and Goyle were gone too, leaving Ron alone in the alleyway. He slowed down and collapsed to his knees, out of breath. How could he let something terrible happen to Hermione for a second time??  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
End of this chapter! Review please! And if you know the names of Hermione's parents then please tell me! Thanks! ^_^ 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Guys!! I'm sorry that this chapter took a little bit longer to get up. My teacher are majorly getting homework happy right now. Anyways, thank SO MUCH for all of the reviews! Honestly, when I get reviews it just makes me want to update as fast as I can.   
  
I appriciate you all and I hope you like this chapter... I particuarly don't like this chapter much because it didn't come out the way I wanted it to, but I wanted to get it up anyways. I may change and make a view edits later though. I will let you know if I do.  
  
Ahh! Enough of my talking and on to the story!! ^_^  
  
~*Chapter 3*~  
  
Everything was happening so fast that Hermione didn't exactly comprehend what was going on. She knew that she had been tackled and pushed towards a tall blonde man, but after that… she had no idea. She was in the alleyway and then suddenly appeared into a castle looking building. Hermione had no explanation as to how that happened, but she didn't care about that at the moment; she just wanted to go home.   
  
She looked around the room she was standing in and stared in awe. There were many tapestries hanging on the walls, along with crests and shields; all of these items were covered with snakes and such creatures. The room was darkly lit with candles and had a sort of eerie feeling in the atmosphere. Hermione felt lonely and sat on an armchair, still examining her surroundings. The three men had left the room as soon as they had appeared at the castle, leaving her locked up in the room.   
  
'I'm not taking this,' Hermione thought. 'I'm getting out of here. I can beat this. C'mon, just think.'  
  
Hermione stood up from the arm chair and studied the windows and walls, looking for any secret exits out of there. She walked up to one of the walls and pressed her hand on it, feeling for any kind of switch. Running her hand up and down the walls, she carefully searched her surroundings. Her hand stopped on a groove in the wall, which she traced around to find that it was a hidden door. She pushed against it as hard as she could but couldn't budge it.   
  
"C'mon!" she pleaded. "Please move!!"  
  
"You won't get that door to move without a door opening spell," that strangely familiar voice said.  
  
Hermione turned around and saw the blonde man standing before her. She shrank back against the wall and lost her breath from fright.  
  
The man smirked. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he watched the once sharp-minded, confident witch cower before him. But he must not treat her without welcome; otherwise it could ruin his whole plan.   
  
"Sit down," he commanded in a sharp voice, but then realized his mistake. "Please, over there," he said in a gentler tone.   
  
Hermione looked uncertain, but walked over to the arm chair and sat down anyways. She was kidnapped after all, and it was probably best to do whatever the man said.  
  
"I'm Draco Malfoy, in case you don't remember me telling you that earlier."  
  
"I remember," Hermione whispered.  
  
"Well I'm not surprised. You are the cleverest person I have ever known."  
  
Hermione's face was covered in confusion as she blushed. "You know me? I don't believe I've ever met you before. Though," she added, "your voice has been strangely familiar to me since the first time you spoke to me in the alleyway."   
  
"That's because you do know me, from a long time ago. That was before the accident, of course." Malfoy paused before continuing. "But now you are back with us, where you were before it had happened."  
  
Hermione was even more confused now. "What are you talking about?? What accident? And where am I?"  
  
"Okay, well I'll start from the beginning. There is a school here in England were special students go to for 7 years, starting from when they are eleven. It's called Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are a witch, Hermione. You attended this school for seven years learning how to cast spells, mix potions, and about the history of our kind; the magical folk. The superior race, as we like to say. The school is run by a nut, Albus Dumbledore. You knew, along with many others knew that this old man was not fit to run the school. So we started a little club to prepare ourselves for the adult organization, which we are in now. We are called Death Eaters, and you were with our group during your time at the school.   
  
Well, right about when our 7th year was coming to an end, the most powerful wizard of all time, the Dark Lord, was involved in a battle with a poor excuse of a wizard named Harry Potter. The Death Eaters at that time, including my father, went to go help the Dark Lord in this battle while we stayed behind in the bushes to keep watch on the outside. Potter's best friend, Ronald Weasley, was incapable of getting inside the building that the fight was taking place in, big surprise, and had been waiting outside too; though he did not know we were there. Weasley eventually got in, but we sent you in after him to dispose of him. But while you were still in the building, it had collapsed over you. By the time we found you, you were a mess and had hit your head hard enough to knock you unconscious. The Dark Lord and all of the Death Eaters were gone without a trace, while Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were still alive.   
  
We found out that you had hit your head hard enough to cause a permanent amnesia. Your parents, which were never wizards, took you away that moment and vowed to never let you take part in the magical world again, because of your injury. They didn't understand though, that you cannot be taken from this world forever. You and us cannot be stopped, and no muggle or wizard can beat us in the end."  
  
"Muggle?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Non-magic people," Malfoy answered.   
  
"Oh," she said quietly.  
  
"So all of the stories that your parents told you about your past are lies. *This* is your world."   
  
Hermione sat in the chair quietly, thinking over all that she had heard. She wanted to know more about this Hogwarts and what she did there. They talked for another hour about all of her questions of the wizardry world. All the while they conversed, Malfoy smiled to himself. She believed all that he told her; step one of his plan was about complete. He made sure that when he talked about Harry and Ron, he made them sound as if they had been the ones doing wrong and trying to get Hermione in trouble at school. This did not make her very happy, which was exactly what Malfoy wanted. He didn't want her to remember the trio's old friendship, or the plan would utterly fail.  
  
"I have just a few more questions," Hermione said eagerly. She was excited about everything she had learned and now felt comfortable around Malfoy. She knew that this all had to be true since she felt like she's known Malfoy all her life. "Well, it sounds like we had so much fun at the school and everything with everyone in the Death Eaters, and you've told me all about Harry potter and his stupid friend, Ron. Well I remember over-hearing my parents say one time that I had an old friend named Ron. I thought that they were our enemies?"  
  
"Simple," Malfoy stated. "Your parents didn't know who your real friends were. They knew from reputations how Potter and Weasley were such 'good boys' and that we were quite the opposite. So you just told them that those were your friends so that they wouldn't have to know what was really going on. With those two as your friends, how could you possibly go wrong?" He laughed and gave Hermione a mischievous smile.   
  
'That's reasonable,' Hermione thought. "Well one more question. Why do we hate muggles and other wizards so much?"  
  
Malfoy thought for a second of how to answer her just right. "The muggles are scared of us, and persecute us whenever they find out who is a witch or wizard. If they knew about our world, their fear would drive them to our destruction… that is, if we couldn't blow their heads off first. And the other wizards, well, they protect those muggles who would seek to kill us off. Don't you see what we are trying to do? The wizard race needs those who have a strong enough will to keep us alive and away from those bloody muggles. They hate us and want us dead, so what more can we do but return their own hate. Only the fittest survive in this world, Hermione. And that is our job."  
  
"The Death Eaters…" Hermione said quietly. That name had sounded recognizable to her ever since she first heard it. That meant that all of this just had to be true. And the muggles… how could they be so stupid as to challenge us?? Do they really think that we don't have the power to fight back and beat them one hundred times harder?? Hate started to greatly build up inside of Hermione as she thought about all Malfoy had told her. She remembered him telling her that his whole family was destroyed by those other wizards. They must pay for the pain they have caused him and many others.   
  
"When do I start my training in fighting back?" Hermione asked, with a fire in her eyes.  
  
Malfoy smiled broadly and responded, "You will start tomorrow."   
  
Hermione nodded her head and then let Malfoy lead her to her room. She learned earlier that this castle was the Malfoy manor, headquarters to the Death Eaters. When they reached the room, Malfoy turned to her before letting her inside.   
  
"Remember this, Hermione. Potter, Weasley, and their kind, are very persuasive. Don't let them fool you into thinking you are one of them. They know you are one of our strongest members and will probably target you, now that you are back with us."  
  
"Right," Hermione concurred, "Don't worry, I finally know who I am and I won't let them take that away from me."  
  
Hermione went into her room and closed the door. Malfoy walked away and was shortly joined by Crabbe and Goyle.   
  
"Everything is going according to plan," Malfoy assured them. "Once she is trained up, her old powerful magic powers will come back. Then we can use her to get the others back."  
  
"Yeah, because the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters are not really gone, but only trapped in a portal between two dimensions, right?" Goyle asked stupidly.  
  
"Exactly Goyle. The thing is," Malfoy said thoughtfully, "I didn't think that it would be so easy to manipulate her. The old Hermione wouldn't have fallen for something such as this."   
  
Crabbe just looked at him with a dazed look.   
  
Malfoy rolled his eyes and scoffed, "You need to learn to use your brain at some point in you life man. I always feel like I'm talking to a big wall in my face."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione sat on her bed, her arms wrapped around her legs, as she thought about all she had learned in the past couple of hours. She finally knew what had happened before she lost her memory and she hated her parents for not telling her. It was her life; why did they take her away from it?   
  
Then again, when she thought about it, she was kind of mean during her school years; according to what Malfoy said. But the whole world she was now apart of was completely different than what she was normally used to, so for all she knew she could have been a bully.  
  
Hermione's reckless side showed; something which she had never felt before. The muggles *did* deserve what was coming to them. They hate us because we are different and seek to even cause us harm. Why not let them see how horrible it is to be persecuted? That would certainly teach them a lesson that they would never forget. And for that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley… they had no idea what was coming to them. She felt extreme hate course through her as she tried to imagine what the next day would be like when she would learn to use her magical abilities.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron was on his knees in the alleyway, feeling his eyes start to get wet. He wiped away the tears furiously with the back of his hand and sighed with aggravation.   
  
'What would Hermione do in a situation like this,' he thought. 'She would probably think out the situation and analyze all possible answers to find the best choice. That's the wit of Hermione for you. But I don't have time to think this all out! That could take days!'   
  
Suddenly Ron thought of the obvious answer and cursed himself for not thinking of it before. Malfoy probably took her to where the aurors believed that a new group of Death Eaters were meeting at…the Malfoy Manor. He quickly picked himself off of the ground and headed towards Hermione. In just a little time now, he would have her back; hopefully permanently because he never really told her how he felt. He would let nothing stop him from telling her this time. Nothing.   
  
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Well that's it for this chapter! It's not my best and it certainly didn't come out the way I wanted it to...but oh well! I'm not really concentrating much on the extra stuff, just Ron and Hermione stuff! hehe   
  
Press the pretty little button below and review! I promise that it helps me to be inspired to write faster. 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey!! Man, I'm updating probably too fast for my own good! I've been writing instead of reading Mice and Men for English!   
  
Well, no matter, here is the next chapter! Thanks again soooo much to the people who review! Getting reviews really makes me want to write instead of being lazy and putting it off. Hehe thanks for helping me get my act together!  
  
Well here it is! I hope you like it, cause it's not one of my best either.  
  
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~*Chapter 4*~  
  
Ron ran for a long time, without stop. His side ached horribly and he needed a break, but he refused to cease. Hermione needed him, and that was all his mind was focused on. He knew quite well where the Malfoy Manor was, considering that it was constantly under ministry raids.   
  
Once Draco's father had disappeared with the Death Eaters and Voldemort, the Malfoy namesake was not as prominent as it was before. All of the doubts that were there before of Lucius and his loyalty to the ministry were quickly confirmed, leaving Draco alone.   
  
Nobody really knew what Draco Malfoy did for a living, but somehow he still had plenty of money to support himself for quite a long time. His mother had disappeared the following day that his dad had, leaving no clue as to what had happened to her.   
  
Ron would have felt sorry for Draco if he weren't such an idiot all the time. And at that moment, Ron hated him more than he ever had before. Sure, Malfoy had *always* been Ron's least favorite person, but capturing Hermione was going too far.   
  
His lungs were screaming at him, pounding painfully at his chest. Ron decided to halt for just a second, resolving that it would be better for him to get there still alive than useless from being out of breath. He put his hand against a building to support himself and thought about a plan on how to rescue Hermione from Malfoy.   
  
"I wonder if I can apparate into his house… probably not," Ron thought aloud. "Wait a minute, apparate! Why didn't I apparate to somewhere near his house to being with! Arhh!" He cursed himself for his stupidity. He had done mission after mission for the ministry, as well as years of training, and he had still made a mistake such as dim-witted as this.   
  
"C'mon Ron," he encouraged himself. "Think straight. That's the only way you can beat this situation."  
  
He immediately apparated to the gates of the Malfoy Manor, wondering how he was going to do this. He had no plan. As far as of a plan his mind had reached so far was busting into the place, cursing everyone who crossed his path, and carrying Hermione away from the place as fast as he could. He knew that wasn't logical though; he would be greatly out-numbered and would most likely be defeated within minutes.   
  
Ron sat down in front of the gate to think of a plan. This was the part he hated most in these types of situations. Harry was normally better at this role. By all means, Ron had his wits too, but he liked busting in and hitting everybody with hexes better. His technique was aggressive force, and he needed Harry's style to complete the other side of their dynamic duo; together they were unstoppable.   
  
'But Hermione needs help *now*,' Ron argued in his thoughts.   
  
'True, but she would get help that is actually effective if you get Harry,' a small voice in his head opposed.   
  
Ron finally came to a decision and stood up. He was going against his first impulse of tearing the place apart to get Hermione, but he decided that it was best. Along the hard years of training to be an auror, Ron had learned to control his temper and to find the best solution to tough spots. He took another look at the Manor before apparating from the very spot he was standing.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Malfoy entered his chambers and laughed to himself. His plan was working so perfectly; much better than he could ever have imagined. Hermione was weak from living the muggle life, therefore much more vulnerable and easy to manipulate and persuade. She wholeheartedly believed in him and all his words, convinced that her past life was of the one he had told her about.   
  
Malfoy walked over to the window in his room and looked out of the front grounds. It was too dark to see much, but Malfoy cared nonetheless as he continued to look out. Something caught his eye by the entrance gate, and there was no mistaking what it was. The flaming red hair was impossible to miss, belonging to none other than Ron Weasley.  
  
Malfoy cursed under his breath as he saw the red head sit down on the ground in front of the gate, clearly trying to think of a plan to get Hermione back. Ron looked like he was torn between two decisions, arguing back and forth with himself. Malfoy watched him thinking, wondering what Ron was contemplating.   
  
"What does he think he's doing?" Malfoy sneered. "Is he really thinking of trying to take on this place by himself? Just for that filthy mud-blood? How thick can you get?"  
  
Ron suddenly stood up and apparated, interrupting Malfoy from his thoughts.  
  
"Very interesting," he whispered. "Looks like I have some extra time to train up Hermione after all. Too bad Weasley didn't come and attack the manor tonight; I would have enjoyed killing him."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Grangers came home that night from a business banquet to find their house completely empty. No note was posted on the fridge as to where Hermione or her sister had gone, so they decided to call the family's good friend, the Chamberlains. Hermione's mom picked up the telephone and dialed the number she normally called at least every other day.  
  
The usual voice picked up, "Hello?"  
  
"Hello Leone, dear!" Margaret Granger chimed. "I was just wondering if you had seen Hermione or Marianne today."  
  
"Oh yes! Marianne is here with Brianna, playing with the new puppy we got. As for Hermione, the last time I saw her was when she had dropped Marianne off at the house. Isn't she at home?"  
  
"No, I can't find her anywhere," Margaret stated, starting to worry for her oldest daughter's sake.  
  
"Maybe she's at the library. You know Hermione, always studying her hardest."  
  
Margaret sighed with relief, thinking of how stupid she was for not thinking of that before. *Of course* Hermione is at the library. "Thank you Leone! You are probably right. I'm sure she will be home soon. Do you want me to come get Marianne?"  
  
"Oh, no it's okay. I'll drop her off in about half an hour when I run to the store."  
  
"Alright, I'll talk to you then."  
  
Hermione's mom hung up the telephone and hummed to herself as she walked to the laundry room to start on the next day's laundry load.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione didn't go to sleep for quite a long time after Malfoy had left her alone from their chat. She had too much to think about! Her life was completely different now, and she knew that. But eventually, she did fall asleep. She drifted off into a deep sleep, dreams over-taking her.  
  
Hermione dreamed she was in a large bedroom with four-poster beds spread around throughout the place. She looked around and saw two girls sleeping soundly, wondering who in the world they were. She exited the room and went down a few flights of stairs. She then found herself in a much bigger room with a fireplace and comfortable looking chairs.   
  
'What is this place??' she wondered. 'It all seems strangely familiar, but then again it doesn't.'  
  
She wandered back up the stairs, but instead turned the opposite direction of where she had originally started. She came to an old, wooden door and placed her hand upon the door knob. Hermione braced herself before opening it, and stepped cautiously into the room. It looked like the bedroom she had been in before, except clothes were thrown everywhere and it smelled like boys. She then saw one of the four poster beds had it's curtains opened and indeed saw a boy sleeping in it. Hermione laughed to herself, staring at the boy as his mouth was hanging open and drool was soaking his pillow. She knew that she shouldn't be in here, but a curiosity crept into her and she couldn't leave.  
  
She wandered over to the bed where the boy she had seen was sleeping. She looked down on him and saw that he had flaming red hair, sleeping in pajamas that were much to short for his tall stature. She gazed at the face of the boy and her cheeks suddenly became flushed.   
  
'Why am I acting like this?' Hermione thought. 'I feel embarrassed to see this boy sleeping. Why? I don't know him, do I?'  
  
The red-headed kid's face from the coffee shop suddenly flashed into her head. 'This is the same person!' she realized. 'No wonder he had been staring at me like he knew me; that's because he *did* know me from my school years at Hogwarts!'  
  
Hermione blushed again as the kid rolled over onto his side and let out a loud snore. Her stomach fluttered while she continued to look at him, wondering what her past was with this kid. She felt something that she never had before; a feeling that was peaceful, warm, and affectionate. Hermione couldn't explain why she felt this way, only that she knew she had felt this way when she was at the school those few years ago.   
  
Hermione felt like she needed a confirmation that this dream was real feelings of her past. She remembered Malfoy telling her that they had been in the same house and year, so she went around looking for him in the four-poster beds, peaking through all the closed curtains. She came to the last un-checked bed, guessing that this one *had* to have Malfoy in it; but to her surprise she saw a kid with jet black hair lying asleep.   
  
Hermione looked at the kid, puzzled. This bed should have had Malfoy sleeping in it. It was the only one left! She knew these boys were in her year too, because the feeling of that was so strong. She looked at the guy in the bed again, and then to the bed-side table. There was a pair of glasses lying on the table, along with some socks and miscellaneous items.   
  
Something sparked Hermione's memory as she saw the glasses. She remembered Malfoy talking about a boy with glasses and black hair, and this boy was Harry Potter; the very person who she had despised in school.   
  
'But that doesn't make sense,' Hermione thought angrily. 'Harry Potter is in a different house than me.' She looked back at the red-head and another thing came to her. That must be Ron Weasley; Harry Potter's red-headed sidekick. But how could I have felt those feelings a few minutes ago about him if that's Weasley? I thought we were mortal enemies at this school. Could Malfoy have been wrong? Or am I just remembering things incorrectly? It's got to be me, because Malfoy seems like such a good friend to me; not the lying type.'  
  
Hermione ran from the room and sprinted back to the bedroom she had started from. She yanked the door open and stopped, short of breath. She walked over to the one bed that she had not looked in before and withdrew the curtains. She saw herself lying asleep in the bed; her seventeen year old self.   
  
Hermione suddenly woke up, more confused than ever. But she was too tired to think about what she had just seen in her dream. She decided to figure it out in the morning and went back to a dreamless sleep.  
  
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Done! Woot! So was it up to standard? I kinda wrote it while half in a million other conversations.. so ya know. Review if you want a fast update! ^_^ Or you can just wait 3 years.. haha j/k 


	5. Author's Note

~* Author's Note *~  
  
Sorry this is not an update!!! _  
  
I just wanted to let you guys know that I didn't die or anything, but the reason that I haven't updated for a while is that I am incredibly busy with school!  
  
I have to write my research paper and study for the ACT's this week! My ACT test is on Saturday!!! AHHHHH!!!!   
  
Just so you all know, I won't be able to update this story until Spring Break next week! I promise I will then!  
  
Wish me luck on my tests so that I feel good enough to update afterwards! LoL  
  
-=*TeraRiley*=- 


	6. Chapter 5

Ahh! I'm soo sorry that it took me this long to update! I really had a hard time getting this chapter done! It took me like 3 hours last night to get this done... man it just was not coming to me! I know what I want to happen in this story, but I seem to be having trouble lately getting it onto paper!  
  
But, I AM done with my ACT test!! wooot! I think I actually did pretty well! ^_^ Plus I got my rough draft research paper in for English done and turned in! And you know what that means! Maybe my brain won't be so fried from all of that stress that I can actually start writing chapters again that I like! LoL   
  
I'm going to shut up now and let you read... but once again I do not like how this chapter turned out AT ALL and once I am done with this story completely I am sure there will be a revised version! LoL Okay, onto the chapter!   
  
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~*Chapter 5*~  
  
"Good, good Hermione!" Malfoy cheered. "You're learning quickly!"  
  
Hermione beamed at Malfoy, receiving an encouraging smile back. She was getting very good at all of the spells that Malfoy and the Death Eaters were teaching her. She had started out with simple spells in which she had performed perfectly on her first few tries. Hermione's memory of spells and how to cast them had been buried deep inside of her, but once she had been introduced to them again, her memory was as fresh as ever. Within a few hours, Hermione had learned hundreds and hundreds of spells, all of which she was able to perform flawlessly.   
  
Hermione looked at the wand she was holding and knew that it was hers; her hand held it and it fit just right. Earlier that morning, she and the Death Eaters had broken into her house back with her parents and stole back all of her old magic things that had been carefully locked up and hidden in the attic. She had felt so much hatred towards her parents for keeping everything away from her, that she hardly felt pain as she watched her parents murdered at the hands of the other Death Eaters. Her little sister had not been there, though… probably spending the night at her friend's house.  
  
Hermione had spent the rest of the morning looking through all of her spell books in her trunk, amazed at all of the stuff she had forgotten. She sorted through all of her other miscellaneous school items such as her Slytherin scarf and robes, and photos of her and her friends. Malfoy had gone through the items with her, telling her about all of the people in the pictures and about some experiences they had at Hogwarts. Hermione's best friend at the school had been a girl named Pansy Parkinson, along side with Malfoy of course. They used to explore the castle at night all the time, along with finding ways to get even with Potter and Weasley. Malfoy told Hermione that all of their friends at Hogwarts were now in the Death Eaters, so Pansy came for a while to visit with Hermione. But the whole time Hermione felt as though something was wrong. She felt uncomfortable around Pansy; and rather than feeling like they had been friends before, Hermione felt a great dislike towards the woman. Pansy seemed distant and acted like she was being forced to be friends with Hermione, and that just didn't seem right.  
  
"Hermione??" Malfoy said, waving his hand in front of her face. "Hello?"  
  
Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, embarrassed for having daydreamed. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."  
  
Malfoy raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless told everyone to leave the room to give Hermione a break. "You've already learned more than I thought you would be now, so we can stop for today." He turned to leave the room, but Hermione asked if he could stay so that she could ask him a few questions. He simply shrugged and sat down next to her, ready to listen.  
  
Hermione smiled to herself for how good of a friend he was for putting up with the millions of questions she was asking. "Well," she began, "I've been wanting to ask you this all day, but I wanted to wait until the right time to do it." She paused a second before continuing. "You see, I had this dream last night about Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. It was the strangest thing because it goes against practically everything you have told me so far. In my dream, I had gone into a boy's dormitory and knew that they were in my year. I don't know how I knew this, but I know that I am not wrong about it. Anyways, when I looked into the beds, I found Weasley and Potter. I then went into the girl's room of the same year and found my seventeen-year-old self there. But you told me that we were in different houses from those two, so how could I have been there with them? And there's more… when I looked at Ron Weasley… I felt something. Not hatred or loathing, but a peaceful and..a loving feeling… one of which I have never felt before. I even blushed! What does this dream mean Draco?"  
  
Hermione took a deep breath and looked at Malfoy, hoping that he would have a logical answer… because she certainly didn't. The dream had felt so right to her, but then so did Malfoy and their friendship.   
  
He hesitated for a second and then replied, "I know exactly why you had this dream and felt that way. Ron Weasley must know that you are back with us now. He knew that you had lost your memory, so now he is trying to confuse you with what I have told you about your past. He must have cast a spell on you, or something like it, to cause you to have a dream like that with those feelings."  
  
Hermione nodded her head, determined to not believe in the dream that she had had. She didn't want Malfoy to think she was weak in believing such nonsense, so she told him not to worry and that she would not give a second thought to any more of those dreams, if they should happen again.   
  
Malfoy stood up and held out his hand. "C'mon. I want to teach you how to play a really cool game called Quidditch." Hermione gave him a warm smile, took his hand, and followed him out of the room.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So you didn't go busting into the Malfoy Mansion and try to take on everything by yourself?" Harry asked in disbelief.   
  
"No, but I sure thought about it. I would have done it too, but I tried to think what was best for Hermione over what my temper was telling me to do." Ron plumped down in a chair after he had been telling Harry everything that had happened for the past ten minutes. "I just wish that I could have saved her before Malfoy had first taken her. What do you think he wants with her?"  
  
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me, mate. But we better find out quickly before Hermione gets hurt."   
  
Ron looked at his watch and sighed. "We better get into work before we're late."   
  
And with that, the two friends disapparated, not knowing that Hermione would soon be tricked into doing a most terrible thing.   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione and Malfoy sat by a tree on the manor grounds, laughing so hard that their stomachs ached. The afternoon had been a memorable one of playing Quidditch and enjoying each other's company; they had been out so long that the sun was now starting to go down, turning the sky into beautiful colors of orange, red, and yellow. Malfoy looked over at Hermione and smiled, admiring her and realizing how much fun she was. He quickly snapped himself back into reality, wondering what the crap he was thinking. Was he actually… liking this Mudblood??   
  
'No, that would be incredibly stupid,' thought Malfoy. 'I'm only being nice to this filthy Mudblood so that I can use her to bring back the Dark Lord and my father, along with the other trapped Death Eaters. Only she can do it. That is the single reason why I am even *tolerating* this idiot to be in my presence.'   
  
"Draco?" Hermione said with concern. "Are you okay? You look like something is bothering you."  
  
Malfoy pushed the thoughts from his mind and replied, "Yes, yes. I'm fine. Let's go inside though… I'm feeling a bit tired."  
  
"Yeah, alright." Hermione agreed, but not convinced that Malfoy had told her the truth.  
  
They headed up to the manor and Malfoy bid Hermione good night before returning to his own room. Pansy Parkinson was waiting for him at his bedroom door with a look of pure disgust.   
  
"WHY did you spend all day with that… that… freak?!" Pansy screamed with rage. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're actually *enjoying* her company! Are you turning against us all now and not going to follow through with our plan??"  
  
"Relax," Malfoy said coolly. "I'm getting her warmed up to our side so that she will have loyalty to us. Trust me, I definitely don't enjoy being in the company of that Mudblood. Once Granger does her job, we will dispose of her."  
  
"Good. I will personally see that it gets done myself when the time comes." Pansy smiled, winked at him, and then walked away. Malfoy watched her go and then rolled his eyes as he went into his room. What a ludicrous thing to think? He, Draco Malfoy, caring for Hermione Granger?? Impossible… right?…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ron stared at the paper in front of him, clearly not soaking in any of the information. He looked over at Harry, who seemed to be having a hard time concentrating as well. They both sighed, knowing that they could not work properly until they helped Hermione. Putting the papers into their desks, they decided to make Hermione's rescue their number one priority. This was Auror work right? Well even if it wasn't exactly what they were supposed to do for their job, Ron and Harry were going to risk it anyways. The Malfoy Manor was always under Ministry watch by the Aurors anyways, so going there should not seem unusual.  
  
There was a knock at the door and Seamus Finnigan came in, a worried look on his face.   
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, wondering what it could possibly be.  
  
"My dad was watching the muggle news this afternoon, considering he is one, and a report came on it that I know would interest you guys. I couldn't believe it when he first told me… I don't know what could have happened…it's just so sudden and strange…"  
  
"Spill it," said Ron impatiently.  
  
Seamus hesitated and answered, "You know Hermione Granger? Well her house was broken into this morning. There was no sign of forced entry, which must mean that it was broken into magically. Her parents were found dead, but Hermione was missing from the house. Nobody really knows what happened. The reporters on the muggle news said that a friend of the family had spoken to Hermione's mum the night before; Hermione had been missing that night as well when the two mothers had been talking. What do you reckon? Hermione hasn't been in contact with the magical world for six years. What could possibly have happened to her?"  
  
Harry and Ron were both quiet, in shock of hearing the news about Hermione's parents. Did she know that Malfoy and the Death Eaters had done this?? They had to get her back quick, before anything else could happen.   
  
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Well?? Haha.... I didn't like it myself, but I figured that this was better than another week without an update! Please review so that I can feel inspired to write better and know that atleast a few people are liking my story!  
  
BTW, thank you SO much to my regular reviewers- RussellGrl15, Vels, Shorty, AerinBrown, and CountessKathleen!!! Man you guys are seriously the best! ^___________^ And all the other reivews I didn't mention are waaay awesome too! 


	7. Chapter 6

Woot! I got another chapter out! Man I don't really know what I'm doing because I kinda changed what my original plan for this story was while writing this chapter, so I hope it's better than what I originally had planned on doing! ^_^  
  
Tell me what you think of this chapter... I gotta give Ron a bigger part in the next chapter though because he is my favorite character of all! He's so awesome! Well on to reading!  
  
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~*Chapter 6~*  
  
Hermione laid on her bed, looking up at the tall, dark ceiling in her room at the Malfoy Manor. She was glad to have finally found her life, her place in the world… but somehow it just didn't seem right.   
  
'That's just because you aren't used to this world yet,' she kept telling herself.   
  
Hermione knew the new world she had discovered was something of her past, because her feelings told her this, but there were some things that didn't fit. Like Pansy Parkinson, for example, did not act like she was a best friend of Hermione's. Pansy acted as though she was being forced to be nice and friendly towards her, so that must mean something right? And Draco Malfoy… he was really nice to Hermione, almost fake though.   
  
  
  
"What am I thinking??" Hermione yelled at herself. "Draco has been so kind to me. Am I repaying him for bringing me back to my real life by suspecting him of lying to me?" She scorned herself for such thoughts and then smiled despite herself. "But I just can't get rid of those feelings that where in my dream. They are too strong to ignore. Ron Weasley must be a powerful and foul wizard to make me feel the way that I do. I *cannot* let him overpower me. I don't want the other Death Eaters to think I am weak."  
  
Hermione sighed and rolled over onto her side. She recalled a conversation she and Draco had while they had played Quidditch early that day.  
  
~*flashback*~   
  
"Tell me again about Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. What was it like at school with them?" Hermione asked as she swerved around Malfoy on her broom and scored another point.   
  
Malfoy's face turned into disgust and then replied, "Well, Potter was a show-off, always trying to be teacher's pet. He used his celebrity status to gain popularity in the school and lied about every heroic thing he did. I'm sure that he beat the Dark Lord all those times by a matter of pure luck and he did not send the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters to a forbidden portal on purpose, I'm sure. It was probably a brainless accident that happened to work in his favor… like everything always did at school.   
  
And Weasley was a taller, stupider version of Potter. No, he didn't have the fame that Potter did, but I know that it always bugged him to always be below his best friend. His entire family is a disgrace to the name of wizard, loving bloody muggles and protecting them from wizards who harm them. They always tried to be heroes of the school, no doubt trying to get more fame. But we saw past that… we were the only smart ones in that whole ridiculous school.   
  
You and me, Hermione, we were the best at school. That's why Potter and Weasley hated us so much; they were jealous of our power and worried that we would one day over-power them. So they would try and try to get you on their side so that *they* would be the powerful ones. But you were the smartest witch Hogwarts had ever seen, and you didn't fall for their be-friending tricks. You weren't going to let them use you for their own personal gain. And now that they know you are back and becoming powerful again, they are going to try to get you on their side again, Hermione. I know it. Don't fall for their tricks, because they can be very persuasive."  
  
*end of flashback*   
  
Hermione sighed again; she stood up from her bed and opened the bedroom door. Hermione looked in the hallway and saw nobody there. She shut the door behind her and started walking, not knowing where she was going… but she needed to go for a walk. Hermione had done this often when she lived the muggle life; walking always seemed to help her mind be at peace before she went to sleep. The stone floor was cold beneath her feet, and the manor had an eerie feeling in it. Hermione looked on the walls and saw many pictures of Draco's relatives. She was used to seeing them move now; the first time she had seen the pictures move about she had screamed and had spilled the drink she was holding at the time down her front.   
  
Hermione turned a corner and then halted before hiding behind a suit of armor. Pansy Parkinson was walking briskly back and forth, clearly in deep thought. Hermione kept quiet, watching the woman pace up and down the hallway.   
  
"What kind of woman does he take me for??" Pansy fumed. "I can see that he's started to fancy that mudblood. He might even not end up going through with the plan if he keeps acting this way! That idiot is changing him somehow… somehow…" Pansy muttered more words under her breath that Hermione couldn't hear, and then she suddenly stopped pacing. "I'm going to have to put this operation into my own hands. Draco is clearly not fit to run the plan anymore. I'm going to force Hermione to do it tonight! We can't wait any longer for Draco to butter this girl up into doing it. Yes… tonight she will do it. The others will help me, they are sick of waiting too…" And with that, Pansy walked the other direction and disappeared into the shadows.   
  
Hermione stood frozen in her spot behind the suit of armor, not knowing what to do. She sunk to the floor and put her head between her knees, more confused and lost as ever. 'So this was all just an act?' she thought, trying to fight back tears. 'I don't belong here and I can't go back home either! My parents are dead! I let them kill my parents! They filled me with so much hate for muggles that I let them do it without even a second thought! I've been so *stupid*!' Hermione pounded her fists into the floor, anger filling her entire soul. She could no longer hold back the tears, so she let them fall freely. She had no where to go, but she knew she couldn't stay here.   
  
"Hermione?" A voice said above her. She looked up to see Draco standing over her, holding out his hand to help her up. Hermione was horrified to see him, and slapped his hand away before jumping up to run away; but before she could he roughly grabbed her arm and held her back.   
  
"What are you doing? What happened??" Draco held onto her arm tight, refusing to let her go.   
  
"Let me go!" Hermione yelled. "I know what you are planning! I over-heard Pansy talking to herself and she is going to get the other Death Eaters to make me do something tonight! You are using me to open that portal aren't you!? You can't do it for some reason by yourselves and you need me to do it!"  
  
Pansy's voice came from behind Draco and replied nastily, "That's exactly what you are going to do. And you'll do it or you will pay a costly price."  
  
"I have nothing left for me anyways, no world to go back to. So there is nothing that you can do to me that would make me open that portal for you!" Hermione screamed. She tried to get free of Draco's grip, but he was much too strong for her.   
  
Pansy's lips cracked into a sickening smile as she motioned someone to come forward out of the group of Death Eaters that were behind her. A little girl was dragged out of the group, her body was limp.  
  
"Marianne..." Hermione whispered. That's right; Marianne had not been at the house when her parents had been murdered.   
  
"She's not dead," Pansy said at the look of horror on Hermione's face. "Only stunned. But she *will* die if you do not do what we ask."  
  
Hermione could see that she was defeated. There was no way out of this one. Her little sister was the only remaining family and friend that she had. Hermione looked at Draco and saw that Draco was trying to avoid her eye; his expression was cold and that of approval. She had thought that he was her friend, and perhaps even more… but he betrayed her like the others.   
  
Suddenly there was a thunderous crash downstairs and the sound of voices. Draco quickly shoved her to the wall and cords shot from his wand, tying her to the cold stone. The Death Eaters turned around to the sound of many footsteps coming up the stairs. Three men and two women came swiftly around the corner and then stopped abruptly.  
  
"Where's Hermione??" one guy yelled. "Give her back now or face us!"   
  
Draco smirked and walked to the front of his group, spinning his wand between his fingers idly. "You five against fourteen of us? Do you really think you'll win?"  
  
More footsteps came and seven more men came bolting into the hallway. "That ought to even the odds," said red-haired twins. "Bring it on you punks!"   
  
Spells started flying up and down the long corridor, some narrowly missing Hermione. She looked at the crowd that had just come and saw many people with flaming red hair, including four others. She at once recognized Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, who were fighting next to each other. They were coming to her rescue… But why? Are they trying to take me from the Death Eaters and use me for something of their bidding as well?   
  
The group that had come in was slowly advancing as the Death Eaters could not hold them back. Curses and hexes flew back and forth as the wizards and witches dueled. Hermione tried to get loose from the bands that held her, but the more she struggled the more the cords cut into her skin; they were too tight. Abruptly, the cords disappeared and Hermione, being cut off guard, fell forward towards the ground. She braced herself for impact, but it did not come. She opened her eyes and saw that Ron Weasley had caught her, holding her close as he backed behind a suit of armor for cover.   
  
"Are you alright, Hermione?" he asked her quickly before stunning a Death Eater that was close by. She just simply nodded and stayed motionless as Ron still held her tight from danger.   
  
All of a sudden Harry Potter came around behind the armor, holding Hermione's sleeping little sister firmly in his arms. "We've got them both. Let's get out of here. Neville was knocked out, but Bill's got him."   
  
"Right," Ron responded and held up his wand, shooting out blue sparks. The others in their group covered Ron, Hermione, Marianne, and Harry as they made their way back to the stairs. Ron leaped down five stairs at a time as he held Hermione, Harry close behind him. Hermione looked back and saw the other's following them, still shooting spells at the Death Eaters behind their backs. As soon as the group reached outside the Malfoy Manor, they were able to disapparate. The last thing Hermione heard before she was suddenly disappearing from the manor was one of the red-headed twins laughing and saying, "Now that we've rescued the damsel in distress let's eat! Anyone want a cream pastry?? (popping sound) Oh sorry Neville! Forgot these were the Canary Creams…"  
  
The Death Eaters ran outside to find Hermione and the invading group gone. Malfoy walked out as Pansy marched up to him, fuming. "You let this happen!" she shrieked. "You've gotten soft Draco! You practically let that mudblood walk right out of here with hardly any trouble at all!"  
  
Malfoy glared at her and replied coolly, "I was the only one to actually *fully* hit one of them out of this entire pathetic group. The most you all bloody did was graze a couple of them! We will get her back and be able to complete the spell and break the portal open. Don't blame me for your incapability to duel. She found out about our plan by overhearing you talk to yourself you idiot!"  
  
"I never-" Pansy started.  
  
"*Do not* interrupt me. Come, let's plan our next attack." Malfoy turned on his heel and walked back up to the manor. Pansy was right about him turning soft; he *had* let them go. He would not admit that though, because the truth was… he didn't know why he did it. Had Hermione changed something in him? 'No,' he thought bitterly. 'I must be loyal to my father and the Dark Lord. If I bring them back I will be rewarded beyond anything I could have imagined. Yes, I will get that filthy mudblood back and restore the Dark Lord to this world! Nothing will stop me this time…'   
  
  
  
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Yay done!! I find Malfoy is getting really hard to write because his feelings are going haywire! Sorry if it is kind of confusing.. I'll try to do better the next time. There shouldn't be too many chapters left... many like 3 or 4... not sure really! We will just have to see won't we!  
  
Again, THANKS SO MUCH to those people who reviewed!! Those are what keep me going man.   
  
P.S. My writing style depends on my mood, so sorry if the style keeps changing on you! I hope it pleases you all the same. And if you have any suggestions to make the story better they would be very much appriciated! Gracias!  
  
-=*TeraRiley*=- 


	8. Chapter 7

There is finally another chapter! No action really happens in this chapter, but I warn you that I DID feel a little sappy as I wrote this one. LoL Yes, yes, some Ron and Hemrione things going on. I didn't feel like proof-reading it though before posting because I have a spliting headache, so plase tell me if there are any mistakes! Thanks! Enjoy!  
  
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~*Chapter 7*~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Hermione sat at the table and sipped her drink. Twelve people stood around her, looking at her with relief and a family sort of love. Marianne was asleep in one of the men's arms, her thumb still in her mouth from sucking on it. As soon as they all had apparated from the Malfoy Manor, they had no hesitation in telling Hermione who they were.   
  
The seven red-headed men and a woman who were the Weasley's (Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny), great friends of Hermione from when she was at Hogwarts. Three other men were Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnigan. There was also a woman who looked about Bill's age, named Tonks, who had bubble-gum pink hair that was long and shiny; and of course Harry Potter.  
  
Ginny and Harry did most of the talking while explaining to Hermione about her past and Xing out all of the lies that Draco Malfoy and told her. Her brain felt like mush as new, fuzzy memories were entering her mind with everything that they were telling her. Ron said something every once in a while, but he mainly stuttered and seemed nervous when he would talk. Hermione caught his eye one time and smiled, causing his cheeks to clash horribly with his red hair; but once she laughed he laughed it off.   
  
Marianne stirred on Bill's shoulder and asked to sleep in a bed. Bill took her upstairs and Tonks followed him to help her get ready for bed.   
  
"Well I don't know about you lot, but I'm not tired at all and thinks need to be livened up here!" Fred said, walking into the living room. He opened a cabinet and peered around, looking for some music to play. George joined him and complained loudly that all the music that was around was their parent's songs… and who would want to listen to that??  
  
Hermione, feeling a little out of place yet comfortable, got up and walked over to them to see the music selection. She wanted some noise in the background to clear her confused thoughts.   
  
"Ooh! How about this one? It looks like it has a lot of good muggle variety songs on it," Hermione chimed. "Can you play this one?"  
  
George shrugged and started the music. He immediately grabbed Hermione's arms and started swinging her around to the song of "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lewis. Fred had grabbed onto Ginny and they were dancing around the room as well while the others entered the room and watched with enjoyment. Hermione almost fell over as George led her into a deep dip; her head almost touching the ground. She laughed hard as he pulled her back up and spun her around.   
  
'These people are so great to me! I don't know how I could have considered them to be the enemy,' Hermione thought. 'It seems like I fit so well here and I don't have any doubts that I belong here. I really do know that I am finally in the right place!'  
  
By that time, Bill and Tonks had come back downstairs and were dancing too. Another fast song came on and George tried to convince Hermione to let him fling her above his head.  
  
"No, no, no!" Hermione said panicky. "I don't do those kinds of moves unless I wish to break my neck!"   
  
George just snickered and replied, "Okay, okay. But how about trying one of these candies I invented? I'm sure you'll like it."   
  
He held out his hand to reveal a brilliantly colored candy that didn't look too bad. Hermione reached out her hand to take it before being interrupted by Ron pushing George's hand roughly away.  
  
"Don't you give her one of those! Do you want her not to trust us??" Ron said angrily.  
  
"Relax ickle Ronnykins. I was only joking with your girlfriend.," George mocked with a mischievous smile before running up to Ginny and Fred, throwing Ginny above his head.   
  
Ron blushed six shades of red before he dared look at Hermione and saw that she was blushing too; her dream earlier about Ron was still vivid in her mind.   
  
"C'mon," Ron said suddenly. "Let's go sit on the couch." He grabbed her hand and led her to their sofa, clearly trying to avoid dancing. They watched Fred and George trying to make Harry break dance for the rest of the fast song. Then Ron's biggest nightmare came and a slow song came on. He still had not danced very much in his life, and he wasn't about to make a fool of himself in front of Hermione when she was just starting to get to know him again.  
  
'If only she remembered everything, then I could at least be myself around her without getting all nervous.' Ron thought to himself. "I just can't help it though since I haven't even talked to her for six years."   
  
Before he realized it, Hermione had grabbed his arm and led him to the middle of the room. "I love this song! Let's dance to it."  
  
She put her arms around his neck as Ron nervously put his hands on her waist. The song blasted through the room; only Ron, Hermione, Bill, and Tonks were dancing to the correct slow, beat. Everyone else was watching George and Fred trying to break dance, though they were not very good and kept falling over.  
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
Now that I am starting,  
  
I cannot deny,  
  
I'd prefer a "see you later" to a mere "goodbye".  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
Ron twirled Hermione around slowly and then brought her back to him. She was smiling and her eyes showed that she was enjoying herself. Ron grinned widely, finally dancing with Hermione for the first time.   
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
But before departing,  
  
do I hope in vain?  
  
Something makes me wonder whether,   
  
you'll forget me all together,  
  
If we never meet again.  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
Ron thought about what would happen next. Hermione had no family left, except for her little sister, and she couldn't go back to the muggle world since the police might be looking for her to question her. She seemed to remember slight things about her real past at Hogwarts, but with her memory mainly gone and the lies that Malfoy had told her, Hermione was very mixed up.   
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
When I go my way,  
  
along some highway,  
  
will you remember me?  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
He wondered whether Hermione remembered him at all in her past. 'I don't think I could ever forget her, no matter how bad my memory was messed up,' Ron thought. He decided to ask her, though he did not expect her to answer yes.  
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
When you are lonesome,  
  
I'd like to own some place,  
  
in your memory.  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
"Hermione?" Ron asked nervously.  
  
"Yes?" she relied, looking puzzled.  
  
He cleared his voice and then asked, "Do you remember at all? From your past?"  
  
She looked a taken back by his question, but then she said softly, "You know, I do and yet I don't. See, the whole time I was at the Malfoy's I felt like something was missing. I didn't know what it was, but I knew that I hadn't found it yet…"  
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
I know that you'll play a part,  
  
in my heart,  
  
when I start,  
  
that's something I can guarantee.  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
"The truth is…" Hermione paused, wondering why she was about to tell Ron this; but she continued nonetheless. "I had a dream last night while I was at the Malfoy Manor about my last year at Hogwarts. It confused me because I thought I was in Slytherin, yet I had found myself in the Gryffindor tower. Anyways, when I went into the boy's dormitory…I saw you sleeping. And well, this…peaceful feeling came over me when I looked at you and I knew that it had to mean something. Malfoy had told me that it meant you were casting fake dreams on me to confuse me, but I think all along I knew that it wasn't true. Those feelings I felt were too strong."  
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
If I'd thought you'd not forget,  
  
that we'd met,  
  
you can bet a very flattered man I'd be.  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
Ron tried to hide his smile, but it burst out of him. She *had* remembered him!   
  
'Well, sure,' he thought, 'she didn't remember me all of the way, but her feelings for me were strong enough to break through her memory barrier!'  
  
  
  
Hermione saw Ron grin so big that she thought he's cheeks would stay that way forever. Not that she wouldn't mind that, because his smile was cute and it made his deep, blue eyes twinkle with happiness. Hermione realized what she was thinking and slapped herself mentally. She doesn't like Ron, does she? Of course not! But then why were there butterflies twittering madly around in her stomach when Ron pulled her into a tight hug. Not caring what she had felt before she had lost her memory, Hermione stopped hiding her emotions and flung her arms back around Ron and kissed him on the cheek.   
  
~*~  
  
i  
  
But when I stray off,  
  
somewhere away off,  
  
Will you remember me?  
  
/i  
  
~*~  
  
The song ended and Ron and Hermione let go of each other, realizing that everyone was staring at them.   
  
  
  
"I think I'm going to go check on Marianne and see if she is sleeping well," Hermione said aloud, hurrying upstairs.   
  
Ron stood standing still, trying not to look at the others. When he finally looked up, Bill was the first person who caught his eye. Beaming brightly, Bill said, "Aww, our little brother is growing up!" A pillow, coming from Ron's direction, flew at Bill's head, hitting him square in the face.   
  
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Yay! Done! Well tell me what you think! ^_^ 


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